Toni Talk

Friday, April 14, 2017

First things first I must apologize...I forgot to post yesterday. Even more unfortunately for you, I am not going to go over my adventures of yesterday. I know it's unfair, but if I go over everything that happened today AND yesterday, the post will be very long so...you're are just going to have to trust that I had a fantastic day yesterday.

Now onto the main event...today. Today was a jam packed fun filled day. It started with sleeping in. This week I had been getting up at 5 in order to get Cydney to work (because she wanted to leave me the car while she was at work). Because today is a holiday, she did not have to go to work so we both got to sleep in. We were not scheduled to get up until 9 however because I normally wake up early to get to work, I slept until 7:30. Not complaining because...I had the best sleep in a long time. I even convinced myself to go back to sleep for any hour!! When we finally got up, we headed to the tennis courts. The first courts we went to, you'll never believe it...they did not have nets -_- so we drove to a park and luckily they had nets...well miniature chain linked fences to separate the two sides but it worked for us. When we realized how rusty I was, we went to the boards and played more racket ball style tennis. It was a great way to start the morning.

After tennis, we headed to village garden, a local restaurant here in Danville, for breakfast. It was FANTASTIC!! The pancakes were fluffy the omelettes were huge and they had my favorite kind of hot sauce. Safe to say, I enjoyed it. When we finished breakfast, we headed back to the house to prepare for Cydney's job interview, she kilt it by the way..,that's right KILT it then we headed to Champaign for the real fun.

For those of you who have never done an escape room...you need to do one. Not only is it fun but it is excellent for team building/communication exercises. I highly recommend it. We ended up escaping our room with three minutes to spare. It was great, frustrating at times, but great none the less. Of course afteward we went to the mall (of course, I bought clothes) and then to get late lunch/early dinner which I like to refer to sometimes as Linner or Dunch, yes, you read that correctly. It was very, VERY good. Thai food, love it!

To end our night we headed to a paint party. It was...interesting to say the least. The painting hat was chosen for the night proved to be challenging at times however everyone ended up with beautiful paintings to take home. It was a great end to a fun filled action packed day and I could be more happy with how it went.

Sadly, this is my last full day before my blissful break comes to an end. However it will not end in vain. I got to spend to time with a great friend and her wonderful family, I got to relax and rejuvenate, and I got my laugh back...yes, I believe I forgot how to laugh (like REALLY laugh) because I was not stopping to smell the roses and this week has really reminded me to do that.

Until tomorrow beautiful people,

You know who I am, if you don't know you better ask somebody...jk I'll tell you,

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

If you are waiting for a, "I am ready for this trip to be done," or a "#I'mbored," then you might want to skip over this post because I am still having the time of my life.

You know that saying, "you have to stop and smell the roses,"? Or...however it goes but...you get the gist. Well I have done just that and they are GORGEOUS!!!

For those of you who have never heard the phrase or have heard it but don't quite fully understand it, let me break it down to you like this: basically it is saying that you have to take a time out for a brief moment and take in all the seemingly small irrelevant things that surround you everyday that you may not notice or take for granted before they are gone. This week has been the perfect time for me to do just that...I LITERLLY smelt some roses...or flowers...they all have pollen okay they were just pretty so I smelled despite my allergies. I realized that this is the first spring break in two years that I actually stopped to take time and enjoy. The last two years, I worked through the breaks (at my second job) so I really did not have time to "stop and smell the roses." This year, I do not have a second job...yet..and I took the time to enjoy the little things (hence my visit to Illinois). Since I have been here, I have gotten much needed rest, and quality time with my ride or die best friend. I always knew that I missed her, but I never knew just how much. I have friends everywhere I have lived...I'm just so popular 😜 jk...maybe... But Cydney is that one friend that keeps me going through everything even from a distance and her company alone has really lifted my spirits and then the spirits moved me to take a step back and just...ahhhhhh....you know just let everything go for a change and just live life. I am sad that it is Wednesday meaning I only have three more days here. But do not fret (Yes, I just started a sentence with but...you'll be fine), I am going to enjoy the rest of my time. For it will be filled with rediculous stories, laughs, giggles, chuckles, side looks and more!!

Until next time,

You know who I am

P.S. Never go shopping on an empty stomach...you end up buying things you didn't even know you liked (but a lot of you already knew that)

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Alright everyone!, it is day two of my spring break and I just have to say...WOW, what a relaxing day! Not only did I get to wake up early and then go back to sleep, but I also did not have to worry about what to wear, who would see me, what to do..all those crazy thoughts you have the night before and the morning before you go to work...it was truly wonderful. What made today an awesome day was not the freedom to pretty much do whatever I wanted, but it was taking a step back and relishing in my true friendships.

I have a lot of AMAZING friends, I don't want anyone walking away after reading this post thinking, "man, what does she think I am?" But I just want to point out what makes Cydney, "that friend" and again I have a lot of "those friends," but I have to brag on my bestie.

I got up this morning at 5am, 6am for you North Carolina folks to take Cydney to work because she is that friend that didn't want me to be stuck in the house all day stranded. I drove her to work because she insisted that I take her car so that if I want while she is at work I can go explore the town. While Cydney was at work, I folded her laundry (yes I did that), walked her dogs (well two out of three...kinda), and visited her mom at work. Yes, Cydney is that friend that did not take off work when her friend comes to visit because she knows that we are the type of friends that, though I miss her dearly when she is gone, she does not have to shower me with her attention 24/7...that is not what makes us those type of friends. We know that we have individual lives away from each other and we would not dream of asking the other to take time away just to make us feel appreciated as a friend. You may be thinking, "so she went to work and must have had a Vegas type of night planned for when she got home." If you are thinking that, you are wrong, we've done Vegas, the real Vegas, it was FANTASTIC, btw. However we did have a blast. After I picked her up from work, we went to the store, pealed potatoes, attempted to watch several movies and failed (yes failed), cooked dinner, then went to get ice cream/frozen yogurt; of course we also had some hilarious conversation and banter along the way as well. It was the most fun I have had...in a long time. I have fun with all of my friends but this day was just the kind of day that only your true friends "those friends" can give you.

Though the day was truly blissful, I must admit I have been saddened. 1. tonight there is supposed to be a pink moon and it is too cloudy for me to see it 😞 and 2. Two days of my seven day break from work is almost over!!! I am not ready to go back to work yet but I am glad I am filling my time with much needed bft (best friend time). This is one of the best Spring breaks ever!!!

Monday, April 10, 2017

It's been about three years since my last post...SURPRISE!!! Here's another one for you! I know some of you are probably wondering, "where's she been? What's she been up to? What is she going to write about next?...." Or you're thinking, "Really, this again?" Either way if you have started reading just now, you might as well just keep on because this week is Spring break and I am turnin up in Illinois with my ride or die best friend Cydney Boyd!!! Again some of you are probably lost thinking something like, "why is that a surprise? Doesn't she live in Illinois? Who is Cydney?" Fear not...your questions will be answered in due time. For now though, I will list some answers to some questions that I think you may be thinking...if you get confused as to why I do not have the questions included, then you did not have a question to begin with 😜. Stay tuned! I will do my very best to post every night before I go to bed (so...at the end of the trip when I remember that I didn't post anything about my trip). Jk, I will really try.

Until next post,

Toni

Here are some answers to questions you may have:

1. I live somewhere in North Carolina now

2. I am a middle school Spanish teacher

3. I still have irrational fears about being in water

4. I am single 😉

5. I have not traveled anywhere since Spain

6. I still talk to some people from college (hence visiting Cydney)

7. No I do not drive the Chrysler or BMW anymore

8. No I still do not know how to drive a stick shift

9. I am still "dramatic"

10. I am a ballroom dancer (on the side)

Hope that answers some of your questions. If you have anything else that you are just dying to know, and you made it this far into the post, feel free to ask any other questions in the comments.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

I know I dropped off the gird for a while but a lot of things have happened. I will start where I left off...approximately anyway.

Originally, I was supposed to be back home on June 31st, however, I was ready to go back on May 31st. Classes had ended and fun Murcian traditions were no longer going on so I felt it was time to leave. The only people who know that I was coming home early however were my parents. I was going to surprise my sisters by not telling them I was getting back an entire month ahead of schedule.

The night before I left was bittersweet. I went out on the town one last time. I went with a few of the friends I made when I was there. We danced until about 4:00am at various clubs and the. I returned to my apartment. I had planned to go to sleep but I was so energized that I ended up talking to one of my friends until it was time to walk to the bus station.

Around 6:00am my roommates and my friend Coral walked me to the bus station. There were no tears or sadness but tons of "I will miss you" and "text me when you land." I was ready to come home.

Unlike my journey to Spain, the flights home went smoothly. I didn't get lost, my phone didn't die, my parents were on time to pick me up and take me home. On the drive home, I talked about my trip and some of my experiences that I had while I was there.

When we got home Tia, my twin sister, was shocked and surprisingly so was my dog and my cats. Everyone was just so surprised that I was home early.

Now, before I went to Spain, a lot of people were talking about reverse culture shock and how I could become depressed and start long to go back to Spain. Just about everyone said I would fall in love with Europe and never want to leave. However, that was not the case. When I returned, besides a bit of jet lag, I was ready to jump back into life as it came. Sure, I did miss some aspects but I was not longing to go back anytime soon. I was honestly more excited to see the new house, as we had just moved again to a new state.

The summer flew by as it always had but I filled it with plenty of fun things like, ballroom dancing lessons, a new gym membership, meeting new people and making videos about trying new things. By the time it was time to come back to school I was ready for a whole new adventure called...Senior Year: Last Semester.

It's gonna be a great semester. There will be good times, bad times, tears, laughter and everything in between but expect nothing less from life.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

I took the last of my finals and sadly I can not say I am confident about my results. These were some of the hardest classes I have taken.mi definitely took for granted the way the teachers in the state teach. There, we have homework assignments, quizzes, office hours to get help from the professors, we even get credit for just showing up to class sometimes however, here in Spain it is a very different story. The teachers are very cold; they do not particularly like international students. one professor told the class that we don't care about anything but traveling and that we don't car about school; he thought that we are all spoiled rich kids who don't want to learn anything. So naturally, he was one of the 7 teachers who were not a fan of us just based on where we are from. The teaching style is so different. They have us take notes on their 4 hour lectures everyday and that's it. We had homework once or twice the whole semester, no short quizzes to make sure we were understanding the material, and no office hours to ask questions. Long story short, when the final came around no one had a clue what to study, they just said everything; no study guide no nothing. I understand there are professors like this in the states, but The professors at Millikin have spoiled not just me but all the students by investing in our success rather than hanging us out to dry, so experiencing this kind of teaching method was a shock but NOW that's in he past. As Miley Cyrus said, "we're break out, let the party start. We're gonna stay out, gonna break some hearts. We're gonna dance till the dance floor falls apart, oh oh all over again!"

Since Miley sang it, I did it!

On Thursday night, I went to dinner with some of the other people in my program. That was about a two hour ideal that ended at very nicely at about midnight, but of course the night wasn't over. After dinner we went to a night cafe and talked more.

On Friday I relaxed all day. I worked out, and then I sat around for a bit after my shower. Then At about midnight, I met up with some friends at Badulake (international club) and danced my booty off. We stayed there for about an hour and a half and then headed off to another club. After about 45 min we made our way to yet another club. We didn't make it home until about 6:00am. It was a great night.

Saturday was very relaxing. I sat around pretty much all day. I did some homework for my independent study, met over skype with my professor/advisor for my university to discuss my class schedule and work, then I ate dinner with my roommates. But...that wasn't the end of the night. Me and my roommates went to karaoke for the second time! It was so much fun! Upon my arrival to the club, a woman who was there the first time we went, and she liked my singing so much, she wanted me to sing another solo. I did with a little help from my roommates on backup vocals. I sang Love On Top by Beyoncé and yes, I did hit all the notes ;)

Now it has been a lazy Sunday. My roommate from the states left to travel Europe with her father today and now there are only three of us left in the apartment. I have to say, summer has been quite successful so far. I have had to say good bye to some AWESOME people but I know it is not goodbye, it is simply see you later!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Alright, I know I didn't post anything last week, but literally, I had nothing interesting to report. It was an average school week: went to class, did my homework, worked out in the park, showered, went to bed, repeat. All week it was the same routine.

Sooo, you are probably dying to know what I have been up to this week, which sadly has been pretty underwhelming, soooo I am gonna do a blooper blog! A blooper blog is a blog where I report to you the little things that happen between all the other stuff I blog about.

Blooper 1: "Poppin' Tags"

One thing I have been wanting to get in to is thrifting. Everyone at school in the states talks about it and I have seen people get some really neat and cool things from thrift stores. My sister for instance got a bed. A whole bed! So I thought what better place to start than in Spain! Sadly however, there is only one thrift shop in Murcia but I made due with what I had. In other words life gave me lemons, I made a sour face, added a bit of sugar, and made some candy! At the thrift store there was a lot of clothes. Long story short, I managed to find a cute dress for only 3€! Such a good deal!

Blooper 2: "Chillin' on a Dirt Road"

Since I have been here I have only traveled once. Not because of anything besides the fact I am not big on traveling. When I am somewhere, I like to be THERE, not constantly leaving and coming back. I have been moving across the U.S. My whole life so sometimes I just like to stay in one spot for a while. Anyway, I decided to take a day trip to Salto del Usero. It's this river through an almost canyon like area. Nothing compared to the Grand Canyon by any means but it is so beautifully breath taking! The river is crystal clear, you can see straight to the bottom. There is even a waterfall and cliffs to jump off of. To get there we had to walk down a dirt road, hence the title.

Blooper 3: "Kebab"

I have been really focusing on working out and staying strong since I have been here. I workout every other day with some friends and then alone on the other days. I have also been making sure I eat really well and cook for myself rather than eating out. However, I heard of this place called crunchy kebab and I told myself last week that in two weeks, so next week, on Friday, for lunch, I get to eat a crunchy kebab! I have only had two kebabs since I have been here in Spain and I feel that in order to leave truly satisfied, I must have a third.

Blooper 4: "Plunger Duty"

Of all the time I had been here, so about 5 months, our toilet had not clogged. The bathtub has been plugged, the washer machine has broken, and the electricity has been blown but the toilet was fine...until that ONE day. I woke up one morning and just like everyday, the first thing I did was got to use the bathroom. When I lifted the seat, I noticed whomever was in there before me had forgotten to flush so I did it before I went. But before I knew it, the water was turning brown and coming back out towards me. My first thought, "ew" then I backed out to make sure it wouldn't overflow and get on my feet, which thankfully it didn't. Still having to use the bathroom myself, I told my roommate and she just didn't even worry about the fact that three of us share the one bathroom that was clogged...ridiculous. So I took it upon myself to go to the store, buy a plunger and some draino and unclog the toilet myself, yes, I still had not gotten to use the bathroom yet. Long story short, I unclogged the toilet after one hour and then finally got to use the bathroom. It was crazy.

Blooper 5: "Karaoke"

For literally weeks now, we had been making plans to go to karaoke as a flat. Everytime it got to the day, we were all busy or too tired but tonight, we finally made it! It was so much fun, we sang about three songs as a group, and in even sang two songs by myself. I first sang Mamma Knows Best by Jessie J and then Respect by Aretha Franklin. I, of course, was nervous but once I got up there I felt really good about it! I think there will be videos on Facebook soon.

Well I hope you enjoyed some of my bloopers, I am sure there are things that I am forgetting at the moment but I will try to do another blog like this so you can get all the details. I don't have any pictures of the dress, but I will put some pictures of Salto at the bottom and the singing videos on Facebook. Hope you enjoy ,

Hasta luego!

Me moving to put my feet in the water (Lord knows I didn't swim)

Me and everyone who went with me ( minus the photographer)

Me actually knee deep in the water (no photo shop)

And me randomly hugging a tree koala bear or sloth style just because. ( this wasn't at Salto but I thought you might enjoy the photo)